The southern plains region of the United States has, in the past week, continued to be deluged by unprecedented rainfall, exacerbating the flooding, which has killed at least 24 people in Texas.
The state has been one of worst hit areas, with the height of the severe storm season helping to dump upon it more than 35 trillion gallons of water during May – enough to cover the entire state in 20cm (8in) of water, according to the National Weather Service.
The recent flooding comes on the back of years of severe drought that have affected large swaths of this US region.
Meanwhile, India and Pakistan have been suffering from a pre-monsoon heatwave. Temperatures have regularly exceeded 45C (113F) in the past week, and are expected to continue to do so over the coming days.
The searing heat has caused the deaths of more than 2,300 people in India, and this number is expected to rise. Andhra Pradesh, on the eastern coast, is reported to be the worst-hit state. May tends to be the hottest month in India, before the gradual arrival of the monsoon rains over the summer period.
Finally, while meteorological summer gets underway in the UK, Australia has begun winter, starting with a notable cold spell. Temperatures plummeted to -7C (19F) in Canberra, the nation’s capital, Monday morning. The average low is usually around 1C at this time of year.
Much of the state of New South Wales also woke up to sub-zero temperatures. It has been a great start to the season for Australian ski resorts, however, with 30cm of snow falling in some locations.
